“That’s why we are pushing for real clear answers on this,” he said in a Tuesday interview with the CBC.

“It is unacceptable and unthinkable that someone could have murdered a journalist on foreign soil like this. That is something that the global community cannot stand for and we’re being very clear about that.”

Human rights groups have urged Canada to cancel the $15-billion contract to sell light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia – a 2014 deal signed by the Harper government and upheld by the Liberals.

But while saying the government could suspend export permits, Trudeau said the “difficult” contract is structured in a way that “makes it very difficult to suspend or leave the contract.”

“I do not want to leave Canadians holding a billion-dollar bill because we’re trying to move forward on doing the right thing,” he added. “So we’re navigating this very carefully.”

In a separate interview on 1310 News in Ottawa, Trudeau said he did not want Canadians “forking over billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia because we’re standing up for human rights.”

On Monday, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is “gravely concerned by the murder” of Khashoggi, adding there are “very important questions” about the entire relationship with Saudi Arabia.